(moved) What can be done to improve the race relations in America?

[J Cord]

The Baby Boom generation was the last to be raised in apartheid. Younger people seldom actually fathom how different their society is from the one that we were born into during the 40s, 50s, and early 60s.

I, for instance, had never even known a white person by name until I was in the 7th grade. I was in my teens before I had in my teens before I had ever been in a classroom with a white person, in my teens before I had ever sat in a restaurant or in a movie theater with a white person. Boomers older than I may have not have actually known a person of the other race until adulthood. Of course, there were times we had to go to the white part of town...but white kids never had to go to the black part of town.

When I was a kid, there were almost no blacks appearing on television, particularly programming for kids, until the mid 60s. Check out YouTube--there are no blacks on The Flintstones or the Jetsons. No blacks on Leave it to Beaver. No blacks on I Dream of Jeannie or Bewitched. No blacks in any of the dozens and dozens of westerns (despite the fact that 25% of cowboys were actually black). No blacks on any commercials. (A rather stand-out exception was Twilight Zone. That program actually had a couple of nearly all-black episodes, and in one case even a black computer scientist. But that, of course, was science fiction.)

Yes, I was born in Canada in the 50s and remember it. There was a large Japanese community around us (fishing village), and already a couple of East Indian families (farming), so it was somewhat diverse where I lived, and I had friends from both cultures (we had a small farm), although my parent's certainly didn't, but I never saw a black person other than on TV until I was in my teens.

Segregation was taught to the Boomer generation as normalcy. Having a black person appear in normal life doing anything other than servile labor or entertainment was presented as an abnormal situation. It didn't matter whether your parents actually voiced that to you--it was clearly presented in all cultural aspects. It permeated our psyches.

Yeah, when I was a kid racial slurs were perfectly normal, and you heard them as part of normal conversation. It's (almost) hilarious when people complain about having to be "PC". Like it should be perfectly acceptable for the majority to insult the minority. SMH.

I remember watching Selma unfold on the evening news, with Walter Cronkite. That was in MY lifetime. MY lifetime. Trying to understand why white people would care what water fountain black people drank out of, or why black people weren't allowed to go to some schools. I remember thinking my poor Japanese friends wouldn't be allowed to drink out of any fountain, or go to any school. I inherently knew it was wrong, and couldn't understand how adults could not figure this out. And then watching the violence, it was another world, one I didn't know, and I remember being very very thankful for that.

What has surprised me in the last eight years is that I had thought the Boomer generation was the "transition generation." But I see now that we had merely surpressed that early training and have reverted to what was impressed upon us as children: "Bring up a child in the way he is to go, and he will not depart from it."

IMO it's fear and hatred. Fear of minorities seeking retribution, hatred that the minorities they spent their lives looking down on have surpassed them financially and socially. Before, no matter how low they were on the social totem pole, poor uneducated whites were always above the minorities. Not any more, now the poor uneducated whites are at the bottom and it drives them crazy. Trump gives them one last futile attempt to hold on to their old social position.

That was a dramatically, incredibly different racial culture from that of Millennials.

Even when you look at race-baiting today...who is doing it? Make up a list of the people you think most responsible for stirring up race problems. Your list will probably be different from mine, but I'll bet money at least three of the top five people in both our lists will be Boomers.

Trump, David Duke, and Paul LePage would be at the top of my list. Check, check, and check.

Right now, though, Boomers are in control of America. Boomers control the policies of industry, politics, government, and mass media. Boomers see race first--as we were carefully taught as children--and may see through race later.

But what I see is that Millennials look at other factors first. The problem Millennials have right now, though, is that they have to operate in the framework operated by Boomers.

I'm living with the hope and belief that they will change the framework. It's already changed greatly in Canada , and is about to change even more.

This school year British Columbia is embarking on a multi-year, all grade, educational journey to give our First Nation's people back their dignity. The government is not only throwing a lot of money at the problem, but they are doing it with a very well thought out plan (imo), which includes giving all teachers paid leave to attend major conferences put on in conjunction with First Nation leadership, and funding to meet the requirement that First Nation history and culture be included in every subject in every grade. It's going to be interesting, that's for sure, and IMO it is going to improve the lives of our First Nation people. Maybe not as much as we hope, but it will be an improvement, and that is all to the good.

 

[Far Side Of the Moon]

It's an interesting question though.
Are there any black Christians participating on the forum? I'd like to know.

I'm a black Christian...i thought this was a Christian forum so o just a ssumed everyone here is Christian.

 

[J Cord]

Of course the most basic thing any and everyone can do is simply treat those you run into every day with respect and decency.

I sincerely believe this is why Canada is among the most accepting countries regarding immigrants and immigration. We have a policy of multi-culturalism, so immigrants can celebrate their differences, but they have also moved to Canada, and they must have heard we're all polite, because the vast majority of immigrants slip right into that mode as well.

The other day my wife was trying a recipe one of her Indian friends had given her, and I was sent to the store to get the ingredients. So I head to the specialty section, and have no idea what some of this stuff is or where to find it. But there is an older Indian couple there, obviously relatively new to Canada, and I tell them I'm lost. The lady looks at the recipe, and takes me up and down the aisle showing me where everything was, making sure I get the right amount, and giving me cooking hints along the way. The whole time she couldn't have been more pleasant, and I enjoyed myself as well. When this is normal, there just aren't any racial tensions.

 

[Far Side Of the Moon]

Greetings rturner,
"The Black Muslim movement united whole communities and brought people from drug use pimpery and prostitution to a clean mature way of life."

It may seem to have done that, but it accomplished it by giving them a common enemy... the white man....
not the best motivator as we can now see what fruit it is producing.
It's great if the black community betters itself, but not if it only betters itself in order to come against others.
Martin Luther King Jr. had the right idea... coming together with others.

I agree Malcom X began to pull away from Louis Farrakhan... but too late... his followers still follow what Farrakhan teaches... were drawn in because of what Farrakhan taught. It had an appeal to their need to be victims, and to find an enemy to rally themselves around.
The movement was born out of a negative, rather than a positive.

Why is it when someone who is mistreated that speaks out..is seen as a victim or wants to play the victim card? I never understood that.

Are rape victims who speak out about their rape and and explain why it was wrong...playing the victim?

I think when it comes to sexual or physical abuse we understand ita wrong...but somehow if the victim happens to be in black skin...the empathy chip in other people's brains are turned off. Are black people not deserving of empathy when wronged?

 

[The Ascetic Crusader]

1. Stop talking about race.

2. Become color blind.

3. Expose racism,whether black, white, yellow, red, or brown.

4. Preach the Gospel, which teaches that there is only one race -- Adam's.

YES on all counts!!!!!

 

[Far Side Of the Moon]

YES on all counts!!!!!

I'm the least confrontational person their is...but if you stop talking about race..how can you expose racism?

Its just one of those uncomfortable things that needs to be talked about to bring about change.

 

[Far Side Of the Moon]

I sincerely believe this is why Canada is among the most accepting countries regarding immigrants and immigration. We have a policy of multi-culturalism, so immigrants can celebrate their differences, but they have also moved to Canada, and they must have heard we're all polite, because the vast majority of immigrants slip right into that mode as well.

The other day my wife was trying a recipe one of her Indian friends had given her, and I was sent to the store to get the ingredients. So I head to the specialty section, and have no idea what some of this stuff is or where to find it. But there is an older Indian couple there, obviously relatively new to Canada, and I tell them I'm lost. The lady looks at the recipe, and takes me up and down the aisle showing me where everything was, making sure I get the right amount, and giving me cooking hints along the way. The whole time she couldn't have been more pleasant, and I enjoyed myself as well. When this is normal, there just aren't any racial tensions.

Canada sounds like a nice, race friendly place to be

 

[jeager016]

I was raised a po' li'l white boy in a black neighborhood.
Really. I was.
I didn't know I was "different" until about age 6,7,8 or something
in that range.
It didn't matter what "color" I was because all us po' folks
had was each other.
When dad wasn't in jail he was drunk.
Mom worked. The "colored folk" took care of us, fed, us,
put us to bed with their children.
When dad sobered up and got a job and became more responsible
we moved into the country side.
Dad HATED black people. Was he a racist?
Hell yes he was a racist! I thought that pretty awful considering
"people of color" raised us kids when he could or would not.
I befriended a black girl who had a withered leg from polio.
No one hears about polio these days.
I took a verbal whipping from the other white boys for even
being with her.

 

[J Cord]

Canada sounds like a nice, race friendly place to be

Not perfect, but trying hard.

 

[The Ascetic Crusader]

I'm the least confrontational person their is...but if you stop talking about race..how can you expose racism?

Its just one of those uncomfortable things that needs to be talked about to bring about change.

Its easy FAR SIDE. Someone brings up the race lie, you just say : "I dont see people as colors". Period. THAT answer in itself speaks volumes.

 

[jeager016]

I'm a black Christian...i thought this was a Christian forum so o just a ssumed everyone here is Christian.

You really are from the far side of the moon ain't 'cha?
Christian does not = color blind.
Christians can be as racist, bigoted, ignorant of as any pagan.
Google this:
http://godhatesfags.com/
and/or Westboro Baptist Church for a lesson in Christian
HATE.
Westboro members are devout equal opportunity haters.
They believe in a "god" I don't know.

 

[rturner76]

The man is a multimillionaire and has never worked at a real job in his life,believe what you want about Jackson,Sharpton etc

Discrimination is simply not being or being chosen for a wide variety of reasons....everyone knows what that feels like,everyone has experienced being in or out of the loop and this idea that all whites skate through life is total garbage.

Jesse Jackson has been a crusader for equal rights since he was side by side with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I doubt you know the ins and out of the cases he brings attention to so I wouldn't jump to conclusions. Al Sharpton believe it or not has helped organize many people of all colors to make positive changes in the community for the unemployed, uninsured, and people that have faced discrimination by police, in their jobs, and in the court system etc.

Fighting against racism is not "race baiting." Many people have a closed minded view of racism and believe because they are not racist, racism is in the past. It still goes on in subtle and overt ways. I'm glad there are people out there who are willing and able to put the spotlight on those who practice it.

There are not many people who believe that white people just skate through life. However it is a fact that white people own the vast majority of businesses large and small and control human resource departments for government agencies. Meaning that especially with family owned companies it can be vary easy and tempting to discriminate. Most people get away with it because it is done discreetly. Some people get caught. The perpetrator does not consider it discrimination they call it a preference. Even innocently believing that certain people generally perform better in certain positions and they look at some data that agrees with what they believe. It is still discrimination and like I said, there are more than plenty of opportunities to discriminate and it happens quite often. Jesse Jackson holding up a mirror to America;s face in unpleasant but necessary to stamp out illegal hiring/promotion practices and and bring companies into compliance with the Civil Rights Act.

.

 

[Far Side Of the Moon]

Easy FAR SIDE. Someone brings up the race lie, you just say : "I dont see people as colors". Period. THAT answer in itself speaks volumes.

What race lie?

 

[jeager016]

Al Sharpton:
A perfect example of a racist bigot unchecked.
His mouth always over rides his brain.
A man people love to hate.

 

[jeager016]

What race lie?

I second that.
What race lie?
Inquiring minds don'cha'know?

 

[Far Side Of the Moon]

You really are from the far side of the moon ain't 'cha?
Christian does not = color blind.
Christians can be as racist, bigoted, ignorant of as any pagan.
Google this:
http://godhatesfags.com/
and/or Westboro Baptist Church for a lesson in Christian
HATE.
Westboro members are devout equal opportunity haters.
They believe in a "god" I don't know.

First, dont insult me...im not living on the moon. I know full well, " Christian " is just a title and anybody who truly wants to follow after god has to renew their mind and heart...im just saying, I thought we were all if not most Christians here

 

[Far Side Of the Moon]

I second that.
What race lie?
Inquiring minds don'cha'know?

Are you going to answer my question or just beat around the bush?

This thread isnt a place for sly remarks and pent up anger .but actual solutions... So take the other elsewhere

 

[jeager016]

Jesus loves.........................but "god" hates [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse].

Wow and they claim to be Christian.
Wonder? What would Jesus to about this^^^^^^^^^^^^^^?

 

[The Ascetic Crusader]

What race lie?

What race lie ? http://www.christianforums.com/threads/race-is-an-artificial-social-construct.7964157/

 

[The Ascetic Crusader]

I second that.
What race lie?
Inquiring minds don'cha'know?

what race lie ? http://www.christianforums.com/threads/race-is-an-artificial-social-construct.7964157/